The Lovereading4Kids comment

A new chapter to the story of Sara Crew has been cleverly crafted by Hilary McKay who picks up the threads at Miss Minchin’s after Sara has left and, in particular, the loneliness of Sara’s friend Ermengarde who is teased mercilessly by her peers. Ermengarde’s life is transformed by the attention of her Aunt Eliza but Ermengarde cannot rest until she has made her peace with Sara. She has to do everything she can to see Sara before she returns to India. A must for all readers who like Hilary McKay herself have asked, “What happened next?”

If you would like a copy of Little Princess with a cover in the same style as the sequel Wishing for Tomorrow, then click here.

Enter the Wishing for Tomorrow writing competition, judged by Hilary McKay, for your chance to win a beautiful Victorian writing set and a signed copy of the book. Click here to get an entry form.

Synopsis

Wishing for Tomorrow by Hilary Mckay

Hilary McKay revisits Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies after the events of A Little Princess and Sara Crewe's happily ever after. But Sara is much missed - and most acutely by best friend Ermengarde, who laments that 'nothing is the same as it was before'. But life must go on at Miss Minchin's as new friendships are made, rivalries continued, lessons learned and, most importantly, fairytale endings are had.

About the Author

Hilary McKay won the Guardian Children's Award with her first novel, The Exiles. Her subsequent work has achieved similar recognition - The Exiles at Home won the Smarties Prize and Saffy's Angel won the Whitbread and was selected for the inaugural Booked up list. Most recently, the acclaimed Binny for Short was longlisted for the 2014 Carnegie Medal.. A graduate of Botany and Zoology from St Andrews University, Hilary now writes full-time. She lives in Derbyshire with her family.

What is your earliest childhood memory?Watching steam trains with my grandfather. He died before I was two years old, so that is a very early memory.

If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?Well, who could turn down the gift of flight? Or travel without luggage? Or a life spent following the sun? Without doubt, I would be a swallow. I realise this means a lifetime of eating flies, but I think it would be worth it.

What is your dream holiday destination?I would start at the Sangre de Cristo mountains in New Mexico and travel South through Central America, along the coast to Peru, then down through Chile across to the Falklands and on to Antarctica, which I would circumnavigate. Then I would travel North to New Zealand where I would spend a long time warming up and then across to Australia. I would spend quite a long time in Sydney and go up into the Blue Mountains (I might go sapphire hunting there) and then to the Great Barrier Reef (of course). That would be far enough for me.

What is your morning routine?Alas, I do not have a morning routine.

If you could have one special talent, what would it be?Singing, undoubtedly. That would make me the happiest. But I have a friend whose talent is languages and I envy that one very much.